File photo of a lighthouse at the Ukrainian port of Chernomorsk on the Black Sea. (Larysa Shcherbyna/iStock/Getty Images)

Ukraine, Russia sign deal to reopen grain export ports

Russia says it 'won't take advantage' of de-mining of ports

Istanbul/Kyiv | Reuters — Russia and Ukraine signed a landmark deal on Friday to reopen Ukrainian Black Sea ports for grain exports, raising hopes that an international food crisis aggravated by the Russian invasion can be eased. The accord crowned two months of talks brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, a NATO member that […] Read more

Cargo ships are docked in Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa on Nov. 4, 2016. (File photo: Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko)

Deal to resume Ukraine Black Sea grain exports to be signed Friday

Istanbul/United Nations | Reuters — Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will sign a deal on Friday to resume Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s office said Thursday. Russia and Ukraine are both major global wheat suppliers, but Moscow’s Feb. 24 invasion of its neighbour has sent food prices soaring […] Read more


Corn in progress just east of Blumenort, Man. on July 20, 2022. (Dave Bedard photo)

CBOT weekly outlook: Keep an eye on the weather

Corn, soy seen trending lower

MarketsFarm — As soybeans and corn trend downward on the Chicago Board of Trade, wheat is poised to climb higher, according to Andrew Mages, analyst with Progressive Ag at Fargo, N.D. The weather outlook has called for scattered showers over the next couple of weeks, which will impact crops in some way, he said. “The […] Read more

File photo of a bulk port facility in Ukraine. (Olivia Sabeskaya/iStock/Getty Images)

Ukraine grain storage crisis hits home as farmers harvest new crops

Outlook bleak if sea export route not reopened soon

Khreshchate, Ukraine | Reuters — Ukrainian farmer Mykola Tereshchenko hopes to start harvesting his wheat fields this week, but the smallholder in northern Ukraine has nowhere to store the grain. His silos are still crammed full with 1,100 tonnes of grain from last year’s harvest that he can’t export due to the closure of Ukraine’s […] Read more



Cargo ships are docked in Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa on Nov. 4, 2016. (File photo: Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko)

As Ukraine grain deal emerges, U.S. aims to ease concerns over Russia sanctions

Washington | Reuters –– The United States on Thursday sought to facilitate Russian food and fertilizer exports by reassuring banks, shipping and insurance companies that such transactions would not breach Washington’s sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Enabling those Russian exports is a key part of attempts by the United Nations and Turkish […] Read more



CME August 2022 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 200-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle jump on cash market premiums

Feeder cattle firm, lean hogs mixed

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts firmed on Monday on technical buying and support from the premium of cash market prices to the actively traded front-month futures contract. Live cattle drew further support from firm beef prices and gains in feeder cattle futures. “Live cattle were up on the strong cash […] Read more


CBOT December 2022 corn (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soy futures up off multi-month lows

Chicago wheat settles lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade corn and soybean futures rebounded on Wednesday after tumbling to multi-month lows as fears about a global recession fueled liquidation in commodity markets, analysts said. Bargain buying helped support prices following recent sell-offs by funds that were seen as overdone, analysts said. Traders remain uncertain about the […] Read more

File photo of pigs on a farm in Germany. (FooTToo/iStock/Getty Images)

Swine fever outbreak in Germany’s top pork state poses lasting threat

Risk seen for spread to neighbours Netherlands, France

Hamburg | Reuters — The spread of African swine fever to Germany’s most important pig rearing region has dealt a serious blow to the sector with major markets such as China likely to maintain import bans for years to come, analysts said on Monday. The outbreak on a farm in Emsland, Lower Saxony is the […] Read more